Celebrating 23 Years

This week we’re celebrating 23 years of Third Space Studio! Our anniversary prompted us to look through old files and reminisce about days past. We came across an article we wrote for our 10-year anniversary about the ingredients that have been our recipe for success as we’ve worked with and learned from innovative nonprofit leaders. These ingredients still ring true for us today and we want to share them with you as we celebrate another year doing what we love.

Cultivating Relationships

Third Space Studio is named for the concept that partnerships happen in a third space that weaves in and among the parties. Most of our early contracts came through prior relationships and word-of-mouth. 23 years later, that’s still true and those relationships have grown exponentially, constantly leading us to intriguing work with passionate leaders.

Building on Strengths

Organizations are at their best when they consistently rely on their strengths. Early in our history, we discovered appreciative inquiry, a framework created by David Cooperrider and others that encourages leaders to turn their attention away from gaps and weaknesses and towards the systematic discovery of what gives a system life and energy. In our own work, we have learned that organizations are able to dream and design better solutions when they grow and develop what is already working.

Using Creativity

Creativity is what transforms talent, resources, partnerships, and more into solutions. The word “studio” shows up in our name because we believe that imagination and creativity are an essential part of transforming our planet and our communities. The many challenges that we face in today’s world have no known answers. Solutions emerge from those willing to experiment with wild new ideas. We are constantly encouraging our clients to experiment and are experimenting ourselves with new ways of helping nonprofit leaders think creatively about their direction, strategy, partnerships, and resources.

Being Adaptable

The element that has helped us survive in the midst of many changes is our willingness to be adaptable. Over the last 23 years, we’ve seen trends and fluctuations that we could not imagine when we began. In February 2001, we envisioned Third Space Studio as a place to connect adventurous philanthropists with innovative nonprofits. We adapted and turned our attention to focus on the nonprofit side of our equation. We’ve added more coaching for executive directors and are facilitating more collaborative endeavors with multiple parties.

Extending Love

The love that has been extended to us and that we extend to others is the ingredient that has helped us grow and flourish over the years. Love melds all the other ingredients together into something joyful, meaningful, and significant.

Thank you for being an essential ingredient in our Third Space recipe!